:ㅤ(⌖)ㅤ𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 & 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 ⸻

• CHARACTERS 𓈒  ࣪  ִ Noh Haerin & Jang Jaewon
•TIMESTAMP 𓈒  ࣪  ִ March 8, 2025 [ pre comeback ]
•W/C 𓈒  ࣪  ִ 2.5K words
•WARNINGS 𓈒  ࣪  ִ Haerin not wanting to celebrate his birthday, Jaewon being the perfect roomie/member. Haerin is going to be spoiled rotten.
• SYNOPSIS𓈒  ࣪  ִ He hadn't celebrated his birthday in years. And his group members never forced him to do it last year, but this year was different. He was turning 22 which meant there was going to be a celebration this year since they didn't get to celebrate for his 21st. And best believe the person who came up with the idea is none other than Jaewon... His roommate... his pain in the ass...but his favorite person.

—

It was his birthday today. He should have more excitement than that. It was his birthday!

Did that sound better? No, it still sounded the same. Haerin didn't feel much excitement when it came to his birthday. He was turning 22, which wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe it was because it had been a few years since he last celebrated.

The last time he truly celebrated, his uncle had taken him out for his first drink and a birthday cake. It was a memory he remembered vividly—mostly because he had spit out the beer his uncle ordered for him. The bitter taste hit his tongue instantly, and before he knew it, he was coughing it back into the glass. His uncle had only laughed, clapping him on the back as if welcoming him into adulthood. But Haerin had just grimaced, already deciding he wasn't a fan.

Ever since that night, he hadn't celebrated. Even when his members tried to get him to go out for dinner or at least do a birthday live, he always turned them down.

Not because he was busy—just because he didn't want to.
Haerin didn't see the need. What was the point of celebrating when it would just be the same routine next year when he turned 23, and the year after that? The candles, the cake, the messages—it all felt unnecessary.

He sighed, staring at the birthday message from his uncle.

Happy birthday, kid. Hope you're doing well.

Short and to the point—just like his uncle. Haerin hesitated for a moment before typing out a reply.

Thanks.

And that was that.

He set his phone down beside him, staring at the ceiling. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioning. No calls, no knocks on his door—his members had probably given up on trying to make him celebrate by now. It wasn't like he was being difficult on purpose. He just didn't see the point.

Still, the silence felt heavier than usual.

Haerin rolled onto his side, his gaze drifting back to his phone. His uncle hadn't replied—not that he expected him to. He could check social media, maybe scroll through the birthday mentions from fans, but that felt exhausting. He didn't want to perform gratitude. And not that he wasn't happy for the birthday messages. It just felt like too much for one day out of the year. Though it would just happen again next year, so did he really need to check it?

He sighed turning over to look out the window. A knock on the door broke the silence. Haerin ignored it at first, thinking whoever it was would give up and leave. But the knocking persisted—three short taps, a pause, then three more.

Jaewon.

"Come on, man, I know you're awake," Jaewon called through the door. "You can't just spend your birthday lying in bed all day."

Haerin exhaled slowly, debating whether to respond. But before he could decide, the door creaked open, and Jaewon peeked his head in. "I brought a peace offering," he said, holding up a can of iced coffee. "Figured you'd need this before I drag you out." Haerin gave him a look. "Out where?"

"The arcade."

"I never agreed to that."

"You didn't have to." Jaewon strolled in, tossing the coffee onto Haerin's bed. "Get up, get dressed. I'm not letting you rot in here all day."

Haerin stayed where he was, watching as Jaewon leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I don't need to celebrate," he muttered.

Jaewon scoffed. "Who said anything about celebrating? We're just hanging out. Two friends, playing games, wasting money on claw machines." He tilted his head. "And I might just be in a generous mood today."

Haerin narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm paying for everything." That got Haerin's attention. He sat up slightly. "Everything?" Jaewon grinned. "Every game, every snack, even the overpriced plushies if you want 'em. So, what do you say?"

Haerin hesitated, glancing at the coffee Jaewon had brought him. It wasn't much, but it was Jaewon's way of saying I know you don't like this, but I'm still here. Maybe going out wouldn't be so bad.

"...Fine," he sighed, reaching for the coffee. "But don't think this means you win." Jaewon smirked. "Oh, I always win."

Haerin rolled his eyes but swung his legs over the side of the bed anyway. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

As Haerin got ready, he could feel Jaewon's gaze lingering—not in an obvious way, but in the way that made his skin prickle with awareness. It wasn't like Jaewon was staring, but there was something about the way he waited, arms crossed, a small smirk tugging at his lips, that made Haerin feel like he was being watched.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Haerin muttered as he pulled on his hoodie.

Jaewon huffed a quiet laugh. "Maybe I will."

Haerin paused mid-motion, his fingers tightening around the fabric of his sleeve. He glanced at Jaewon, expecting him to be joking, but Jaewon was already looking away, casually inspecting his nails like he hadn't just said something that sent a flicker of warmth up Haerin's spine.

Shaking it off, Haerin grabbed his phone and stuffed it into his pocket. "Let's just go before you change your mind about paying."

Jaewon grinned. "I never go back on my word."

And as they left, walking side by side into the crisp evening air, Jaewon casually bumped Haerin's shoulder with his own. It was a small thing, barely noticeable—except that Haerin noticed. And when he glanced at Jaewon, the other boy wasn't looking at him, but there was a softness to his smile that made Haerin's stomach flip.

The arcade was already buzzing with life when they arrived—flashing neon lights, the rhythmic beeping of game machines, and the occasional cheers from people who had just won a prize. It smelled like buttered popcorn and something vaguely artificial, but in a way that felt nostalgic rather than unpleasant.

Jaewon led the way, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets as he surveyed the room. "Alright, birthday boy. What's first?"

Haerin wrinkled his nose. "Don't call me that." Jaewon smirked. "Noted. So, what's first, Haerin, who happens to have been born on this day?"

Harin huffed, but he couldn't help the slight tug at the corner of his lips. He let his gaze drift over the rows of arcade games before settling on something easy. "Let's start with the basketball hoops."

Jaewon raised a brow. "You sure? I remember you being terrible at those." Haerin scoffed, already walking toward the machine. "I was just having an off day." Jaewon followed, slipping a few coins into the slot. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that."

The game started, and Haerin immediately regretted his choice. The first few shots bounced off the rim, completely missing the net. Jaewon, of course, made every single shot with annoying ease. "Off day again?" Jaewon teased, grabbing another basketball.

Haerin shot him a glare before focusing on making at least one basket. This time, the ball swished through the net. He straightened, as if that somehow redeemed all his previous misses. Jaewon clapped, slow and sarcastic. "Wow. Incredible. A true prodigy."

"Shut up," Haerin muttered, but there was no real bite to it.

They played a few more rounds, Jaewon winning every time but not rubbing it in too much. Then they moved on to other games—racing against each other in car simulators, teaming up for a zombie shooter, and even challenging each other to a claw machine war (Jaewon won that too, but he handed the plushie to Haerin with a casual "Happy birthday, or whatever").

At some point, Jaewon bought them drinks, handing Harin a soda before sitting beside him on one of the arcade benches. "Having fun yet?" Jaewon asked, nudging his shoulder against Haerin's.

Haerin took a sip of his drink, staring ahead at the blinking lights of the arcade. He wouldn't say it out loud, but... yeah. He was. "It's alright," he said instead, voice even.

Jaewon chuckled. "That's the nicest thing you've said all day." They sat there for a moment, the energy of the arcade continuing around them. Haerin turned the soda can in his hands, thinking about how easy this felt—how Jaewon always managed to drag him out of his own head without even trying.

Jaewon suddenly leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just enough to make Haerin's breath hitch. "You know..." His tone was casual, but there was something in it, something teasing but deliberate. "If you ever decide to start celebrating your birthday properly, I wouldn't mind being the first one to make it special."

Haerin froze, his grip tightening around the can. His heart skipped—just once, but enough for him to notice. When he turned to look at Jaewon, the other boy was already smirking, eyes glinting like he knew exactly what he was doing.

Haerin scoffed, masking whatever was bubbling in his chest. "You already made me go to an arcade and forced me to accept a plushie. I think that counts."

Jaewon tilted his head. "Does it?" Haerin refused to meet his gaze, choosing instead to take another sip of his drink. "...Yeah." Jaewon hummed, unconvinced but letting it slide.

After finishing their drinks, Jaewon stretched his arms over his head and grinned. "Alright, I've decided my new mission for the night."

Haerin gave him a wary look. "Do I even want to know?"

Jaewon smirked, grabbing his wrist and tugging him toward another row of claw machines. "I'm winning you more stuff."

"You don't have to—"

"I want to," Jaewon cut in smoothly, already fishing out more coins. "Besides, you don't exactly have a choice."

Haerin sighed but didn't pull away. If Jaewon wanted to waste his money trying to win stuffed animals and keychains for him, that was his problem.

Over the next half hour, Jaewon proved to be annoyingly good at claw machines. He won a small dinosaur plush, a keychain shaped like a cat paw, and a ridiculously oversized shark plushie that he immediately shoved into Haerin's arms.

Haerin stared down at it, the sheer size of it making it difficult to hold properly. "...This is stupid."

Jaewon grinned. "You're stupid."

Haerin clicked his tongue but didn't argue, because—annoyingly—he kind of liked it.

Eventually, when Haerin had more prizes than he knew what to do with, they finally decided to head back to the dorm. The night air was cool against his skin as they walked, Jaewon carrying a few of the smaller prizes to help him out.

"You know," Jaewon started, shifting the bags in his hands. "For someone who doesn't like celebrating, you didn't seem to mind tonight all that much."

Haerin huffed, adjusting his hold on the shark plush. "It was... tolerable."

Jaewon laughed, shaking his head. "I'll take it."

As they walked back to the dorm, Haerin noticed Jaewon check his phone. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he slipped it back into his pocket.

"What?" Haerin asked, narrowing his eyes.

Jaewon shrugged. "Nothing."

Haerin didn't buy it, but he let it slide, too distracted by the lingering warmth in his chest from their night out. He wouldn't say it out loud, but something about tonight—Jaewon dragging him around, winning him prizes, that ridiculous oversized shark plush—made him feel lighter than usual.

By the time they reached the dorm, there was something different in the air. A quiet anticipation. And maybe it was because Jaewon seemed almost too casual as he nudged the door open, like he was waiting for something.

The moment the door swung open, the lights flicked on, and—

"SURPRISE!"

The room erupted with cheers. Noa stood front and center with a satisfied grin, Seonghwan clapping beside him. Kian had his phone out like he was recording the whole thing, while Seonghwa grinned mischievously, arms crossed. And in the middle of it all sat a cake, candles already burning, the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAERIN scrawled across the frosting in slightly shaky lettering.

Haerin blinked, momentarily frozen. Jaewon leaned in, voice low and teasing. "Told you they wouldn't forget."
Haerin turned to glare at him, but the warmth in his chest only grew.

"Come on, Haerin," Noa called. "At least pretend to be happy about it." Haerin scoffed, shaking his head, but he was already stepping toward the cake. The members started singing—dramatic and off-key, because of course they were—and somehow, despite himself, he felt his lips twitch into a small smile.

When the song ended, he took a breath, staring at the flickering candles. "Make a wish," Kian said, still recording.

Haerin rolled his eyes but closed them anyway. And for the first time in years, he actually wanted to make a wish.

When he blew out the candles, the room filled with cheers and claps. But before he could fully bask in the moment, he felt a hand on his back—then suddenly, Seonghwa was shoving him forward. He barely caught himself before his face hit the cake.

"Damn," Seonghwa pouted. "Almost had him." Noa groaned. "I told you not to do that."

Haerin turned, sending Seonghwa a glare. "You wish you could get me that easily."

"Yeah?" Seonghwa smirked. "What about this?" Before Haerin could react, Seonghwa swiped a finger through the frosting and smeared it right across his cheek.

A collective "ooooh" filled the room.

Haerin stared at him, deadpan. "You're dead."

Seonghwa grinned. "You gotta catch me first."

But before Haerin could lunge at him, Jaewon—who had been quiet through the chaos—tilted his head slightly. "Wait, hold on."

Haerin barely had time to turn before Jaewon stepped in close—way too close—cupped his chin lightly with his fingers, and leaned in.

And then—warmth. The faintest brush of lips, the swipe of a tongue against his cheek, stealing the frosting away like it was the most natural thing in the world. The room erupted.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Seonghwan practically screeched. Noa choked on a laugh. "Oh my god."

Seonghwa pointed accusingly. "I was joking!" Haerin, meanwhile, had completely short-circuited. His entire body froze, his breath caught in his throat, his mind utterly blank.

Jaewon pulled back slightly, lips curling into an infuriating smirk. "Hm. Sweet." Haerin finally reacted—by shoving Jaewon away, his face burning. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Jaewon just laughed, looking far too pleased with himself. "You had something on your face." Seonghwan dramatically collapsed onto the couch. "I can't—this is too much."

Kian was still recording, whispering, "Oh, this is going viral." Noa just sighed, rubbing his temples. "You guys are ridiculous."

Haerin turned away, rubbing aggressively at his cheek even though the frosting was long gone. His heart was pounding, his ears hot. Jaewon leaned in again, voice low enough that only Haerin could hear. "Happy birthday, by the way."

Haerin refused to look at him. But, despite everything, he couldn't stop the stupid little smile creeping onto his face.